Pill dispenser



March 27, 1962 c. H. JONES, JR 3,

PILL DISPENSER Filed March 18, 1959 INVENTOR. Charles fig/ones 21: BY

This invention relates to a pill dispenser and more particularly to apparatus arranged to permit pills to be removed one at a time from a container.

In the past it has been the usual practice when removing pills from a container full of pills to remove the cap and shake the bottle until one pill rolls from within the container. When this is done the user often accidentally receives several pills and it is necessary for him to replace all but the single one which he wishes to take. Attempts to solve this problem in the past have involved the use of dispensers having a plurality of compartments which are introduced one at a time to registry with a dis pensing opening. Such dispensers have to be loaded from a larger container containing the pills in bulk. Attempts to provide dispensers for containers of pills in bulk have been unsuccessful because such apparatus has been always complicated, expensive, and awkward to operate. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.

It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the present invention to provide a pill dispenser which may be applied as the cover or cap for a container having pills in bulk and which is capable of dispensing the pills one at a time.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a compact pill dispenser for application to a bulk pill bottle which dispenser is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and which can be operated with a minimum of difficulty.

A still further object of the present invention is a pill dispenser which resembles the cap of a bottle and which has a minimum of protuberances.

It is another object of this invention to provide a pill dispenser which may be readily molded by plastic injection molding methods.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a pill dispenser for application to a bottle, which dispenser is capable of effective operation with one hand.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself as to its objects and advantages, the mode of its operation, and the manner of its organization may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a pill dispenser embodying the principles of the present invention taken on the line II of FIG. 2',

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the invention in closed position; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the invention in open position.

Referring to the drawings, it can be seen that the pill dispenser indicated generally by the reference numeral comprises a main body 11 and a gate member 12. In the preferred embodiment of the invention these two parts are the only elements of the dispenser. Both elements are formed preferably by injection molding of a suitable plastic which is capable of fairly accurate formation and which can be subjected to some abuse without breaking. It will be understood, however, that any suitable material may be used.

its tent ice The main body 11 has the general form of a bottle cap and is provided with an internal bore 13 provided with threads 14 permitting it to be applied to the usual threaded bottle. The main body 11 is also provided with a conical bore 16 having its larger end facing toward the bore 13. The main body 11 is provided with a surface 17 which extends at right angles to the axis of the bore 13 and this surface is provided with a shallow circular recess 18 adjacent its periphery. Extending upwardly from the surface 17 is a rectangular pillar 1d which is located at the periphery of the main body 11 diametrically opposite the recess 18; the pillar has a rectangular cross-sectional shape and extends radially inwardly toward the center of the main body. Mounted at the outer end of the pillar 19 is an arm 21 which constitutes an extension of the pillar 19. The arm extends from the outer periphery of the body member inwardly to a point well over the center of the body member past the smaller end of the conical bore 16. In actual shape it consists of a circle surrounding the small opening of the bore 16 but slightly larger than this bore and having tangential lines extending from opposite diametrical portions of the circle to the intersections of the sides of the pillar 19 with the outer periphery of the body member.

The gate member 12 consists in a general way of a circular disc of exactly the same diameter as the main body 11 and having a notch 22 cut therefrom. The gate member is provided with a flat lower surface 23 which matches and slides over the surface 17 of the main body 11. The gate member is provided with a peg 24 extending from the surface 23 and exactly matching the recess 13 in the main body. The notch 22 in the gate member has an irregular outline consisting in part of a portion- 25 of a circle the center of the circle lying on the axis of the bore 16 when the apparatus is in the condition shown in FIG. 2. The outline of the notch 22 is also formed in part by a portion of a circle whose center lies beside the circle described above. Straight lines join the opposite sides of these side-by-side circles to the outerperiphery of the gate member. The notch, therefore, has the general shape of a W. Most of the remainder of the. gate member, that is, the part outside of the notch 22, is of such a thickness that its outer surface is in the same plane as the outer surface of the arm 21 of the main body 11. This is clearly evident in FIG. 1. However, extending across the inner portion of the notch 22 is a web 27 of reduced thickness which is slidable between the inner surface of the arm 21 and the surface 17 of the main body 11. This web is provided with a circular aperture 23 which, when the apparatus is in the condition shown in FIG. 2, exactly matches the smaller end of the conical bore 16 and is co-axial with that bore and with the bore 13 of the main body. Extending upwardly from the gate member at one side of the notch 22 is an actuat ing finger 2 which is curved to face outwardly of the gate member and which elevation appears as a semicircle, as is evident in FIG. 1. A similar actuating finger 31 extends outwardly from the gate member at the op posite side of the notch 22 and faces in the opposite di rection from the direction toward which the actuating finger 29 is curved. The radius of curvature of both fingers is similar to that of a persons thumb or finger.

The operation of the apparatus will now be readily understood in view of the above description. In assembling the main body 11, the gate member 12 is brought toward the main body from the side having the recess 18. The surface 23 slides over the surface 17 of the main body. Eventually, the web 27 will slide into the space between the surface 17 and the inner surface of the arm 21. As the sliding action continues the peg 24 will strike the outer periphery of the main body and the gate member must be bent to raise the peg up away from the main Patented Mar. 27, 1%82 body so that it can slide over the surface 17 and eventually snap into the recess 18. When this is done, the elements are locked together in operative relationship. The normal position of the two members is that shown in FIG. 2 in which their outer circular peripheries are aligned. At that time, the recess 28 underlies the enlarged inner portion of the arm 21 and is co-axial with the counter-bore 16 and the bore 13 of the main body. The straight line portion of the notch 22 adjacent the actuating finger 29 engages the adjacent straight line portion of the arm 21, and this engagement acts as an index of position of rotation about a hinge formed by the peg 24 and the recess 18. It is assumed that thedispenser has been applied to a bottle of pills (not shown) with the threads 14 engaging and looking with the usual threads on the neck of the bottle. When the bottle and dispenser are inverted so that the dispenser is upside down (as in FIG. 1), a single pill will fall down the conical bore 16 into the aperture 28 of the gate member. It is only necessary then to press the actuating finger 31 to rotate the gate member 12 about the axis of the peg 24 to cause the aperure 28 to move from under the arm 21 and into the open. The pill which had formerly fallen into the aperture 28 is carried along with it and falls out into the users hand. Although other pills seek to fall down through the bore 16, they can go no further because the unapertured portion of the web 27 now underlies the arm 21. The position shown in FIG. 3 is determined by the engagement of the straight line portion of the notch 22 which lies adjacent the actuating finger 31 engaging with a corresponding straight edge portion of the arm 21. It should be noted that, in the closed position shown in FIG. 2, theouter circular periphery of the arm 21 engages the circular portion 25 of the notch 22, while in the open position shown in FIG. 3, the remainder of the circular portion of the arm 21 engages the other circular portion 26 of the notch 22. After one pill has been removed in this manner, the actuating finger 29 is pressed and the gate and member 12 rotated counter-clockwise to the normal, closed position. While certain novel features of the invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A pill dispenser, comprising a main body adapted to be attached to the neck of a bulk pill bottle, the main body having a flat outer surface extending at a right angle to the axis of the bottle and a central conical passage extending axially therethrough, a portion of the main body extending parallel to and spaced from the said surface co-extensively with the opening of the said passage on the said surface, a disk-like gate member having the same diameter as the main body and having a thickness such that its outer surface is in the same plane as the outer surface of the said portion of the main body, a notch formed in the disk through which the said portion extends, a web extending across a portion of the notch and lying between the said surface in the said portion and rotatably slidable therein relative to the main body about an axis substantially spaced from the said passage, the web having an aperture which is covered by the said portion when it is co-axial with the said passage, the gate member being slidable to a position wherein the aperture is entirely removed from the passage and the aperture is not covered by the said portion.

2. A pill dispenser, comprising a main body adapted to be attached to the neck of a bulk pill bottle, the main body having a fiat outer surface extending at a right angle to the axis of the bottle and a passage extending axially therethrough, a portion of the main body extending parallel to and spaced from the said surface co-extensively with the opening of the said passage on the said surface, a disk-like gate member having a thickness such that its outer surface is in the same plane as the outer surface of the said portion of the main body, a notch formed in the gate member through which the said portion extends, a web extending across a portion of the notch and lying between the said surface and the said portion and rotatably slidable therein relative to the main body about an axis substantially spaced from the said passage, the web having an aperture which is covered by the said portion when it is co-axial with the said passage, the gate member slidable to a position wherein the aperture is entirely removed from the passage and the aperture is not covered by the said portion.

3. A pill dispenser, comprising a generally cylindrical main body adapted to be attached to the neck of a bulk pill bottle, the main body having a flat outer surface extending at a right angle to the axis of the bottle and a central conical passage extending axially therethrough, an arm extending radially parallel to and spaced from the said surface, an integral pillar connecting the outer end only of the arm to the said surface, the inner end of the arm overlying but spaced from the opening of the said passage on the said surface, a disk-like gate member having the same diameter as the main body and having a thickness such that its outer surface is in the same plane as the outer surface of the said portion of the main body, a notch formed in the disk through which the said portion extends, a web extending across a portion of the notch and lying between the said surface and the said portion and slidable therein relative to the main body about an axis substantially spaced from the said passage, the web having an aperture which is covered by the said portion when it is co-axial with the said passage, a pivoted inter-connection between the main body and the gate member to permit rotary sliding therebetween, the gate member being slidable to a position wherein the aperture is entirely removed from the passage and the aperture is not covered by the said portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 398,832 Henkmann Mar. 5, 1889 1,519,928 Priestnitz Dec. 16, 1924 1,963,050 Graham June 12, 1934 2,171,700 Hobson et al. Sept. 5, 1939 2,475,738 Epplin July 12, 1949 2,630,245 Maier Mar. 3, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 280,856 Great Britain Jan. 12, 1928 

